How the Pokemon Remember it
by btamamura
Summary: So, how did Tracey acquire Marill and Venonat anyway? Here's how they remember everything. No pairings. Contains character deaths, but not main characters.
1. First Ever True Friends

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Pokemon or the characters. They are the property of Tajiri Satoshi, Nintendo, Game Freak, etc._

**Notes: **_**This idea would not leave me alone. I wanted to write about how Tracey had acquired Marill and Venonat. I'd had the thought for years that Marill was a special friend given to him by his father when he was still too young to legally train a Pokemon, but Marill could still be a friend to him.**_

_**A lot of what's featured is headcanon - Tracey growing up on Tangelo Island, his father (a well-known Pokemon Watcher on Tangelo) passing away when he was five, his mother passing away from grief when he was ten and on his first journey around the neighbouring islands (no further from the Southern region explaining why he hasn't been to Murcott Island before he travelled with Ash and Misty), Marill being a gift, Venonat being the first capture...**_

_**These chapters tend to focus more on the Pokemon's point of view rather than Tracey's.**_

_**I hope you enjoy this!**_

He sat on the beach to watch the sunset. He knew he didn't have many more chances to witness such a breathtaking sight. He heard a sound in the water, and averted his gaze to the source of the sound. "A Pokemon..." He reached into the pouch attached to his waist and pulled out some binoculars. He set sight to _Sunset/Night_ and looked through the viewers. He could make out the shape; he just had to adjust the zoom to focus better.

The Pokemon ceased playing. It looked over the man, wondering why he was looking through those strange things.

His focus was achieved. "Oh, I see. It's a Marill. Must've come all the way from Johto." He returned his binoculars. He didn't want to disturb the small Pokemon, but he'd been looking out for the ideal Pokemon to give to his son. He wasn't going to be around for his son's tenth birthday when he could acquire a Trainer's license and his first Pokemon, so he wanted to give him a Poke-pal and see the look on his face when he first opened the Pokeball.

The Pokemon, identified as Marill, cocked its head in confusion. The human had put away the strange things, but was still looking at it. The human hadn't made a move to harm it, so it decided to tentatively approach the male human.

The man was surprised. The Marill was approaching him; slowly, yet surely getting closer to where he sat on the sand.

Marill sniffed the air. No traps, no bait, nothing to warn of potential danger. The mouse waddled a little further until it stood in front of the man. "Marill?"

He smiled gently. "Don't be afraid, little one. I don't intend any harm."

Marill smiled and sat near him.

"I prefer observing Pokemon rather than battling them. No harm to the Pokemon and more notes to share with Professor Ivy."

"Rill..."

"I do want to ask you something though."

"Ma?"

"You see, I..." He reached into his pouch again and brought out a photo. It had the image of a small boy with dark hair and large, brown eyes. The boy was smiling widely. He presented the photo to Marill. "This is my son, his name is Tracey."

Marill smiled. The boy appeared friendly.

"He might seem happy in this photo, but the truth is, he's pretty lonely. He doesn't have any friends, and despite our desire to give him a brother or sister, something ceased that from happening."

Marill's smile faded. Now that it looked closer at the human, he appeared weaker than the usual male who stopped by the beach.

"I'm not well. In fact, I'm dying. I won't be around on Tracey's tenth birthday. I won't be able to see him receive his first Pokemon."

Marill was starting to understand what the man was wanting to ask.

"So, I want to get him a Pokemon friend. He won't train it for battles, but at least I'll be able to be there when he receives his first Pokemon, and he'll finally have a friend."

The mouse pieced everything together. The man was hinting at asking if it would be willing to accompany him and be the special friend for his son.

"You seem like a nice Pokemon; very kind and sweet. I know that Marill have excellent hearing too. My son has already been considering watching Pokemon like I have done since I was young. Listening skills like yours would be a great help to him when he's seeking out Pokemon to observe."

Marill needed not hear any more. "Marill! Marill!" With a wide smile, it hopped up and down on the spot.

"Are you saying you would like to come with me and be my son's friend?"

"Rill! Marill marill!"

"Thank you so much, Marill. I just know that you and Tracey will get along well."

Marill jumped onto his lap and nuzzled him. Truth be told, Marill had been lonely too. It would swim with other Pokemon on occasion, but because of being new and strange in the waters surrounding Tangelo Island, it didn't have any close friends like many of the Pokemon it swam with had.

"I hope you don't mind, but I will need to put you into a Pokeball. I'll take you to the Pokemon Centre so you can be examined and treated for anything that ails you. You appear healthy, but I want to make sure."

The blue Pokemon nodded happily and with another nuzzle, started to coo. It had no issues with having to be in the Pokeball. It figured that would be the best way to surprise the boy it would soon meet.

The man replaced the photo in the pouch and pulled out an empty Pokeball. He didn't have any Pokemon of his own to battle the mouse, so he was thankful it was willingly joining him. He pressed the button on the ball to enlarge it, then gently tapped the ball onto Marill's head.

It was a strange sensation, to say the least. One second after the ball made contact, the mouse was suddenly changed to a beam of red light that vanished into the ball. It opened its eyes once inside and smiled. It wasn't the beach, but there was a sense of security; like nothing could bring harm to the mouse while it was inside the confines of the ball. It heard the man make a comment about _Now I'll take you to the Pokemon Centre so Nurse Joy can give you a check up_, and felt the ball moving slightly. Soon, its surroundings were still once again.

Marill opened its eyes and shook its body after being released from the ball in a flash of white light. It looked around the strange surroundings and saw a woman with pink hair in a nurse's outfit. "Marill?"

"Don't worry, I don't mean any harm. I'm Nurse Joy, I'll be giving you a check up to ensure you're as healthy as you appear," the woman responded with a soft smile and warm voice.

Marill smiled and relaxed. The tone of the woman's voice was very comforting.

"Now then, you appear to be female, correct?"

"Marill!"

"I thought so. It's subtle, but there's a difference between you and males of your species." She picked Marill up and set her on a pair of scales. "First, I'll check if your weight is at a healthy range. Even in the wild, Pokemon can either eat too much or too little."

Marill almost jumped as a shrill _beep_ sounded seconds after Joy's explanation. She (as Marill has been identified as female) wasn't expecting to hear such a sound, but after Joy gave her a comforting pat, she calmed down.

"Very good. You're right at the mark of the healthy weight range for your species. You're also the correct height. Now, I'm going to check your heartbeat, pulse, breathing, blood pressure and reflexes. Following that, I'll need to draw some blood from you so I can ensure everything is well inside as well."

"Marill...?"

"Don't worry. It might sting a little, but it's a lot better having it checked now than to find later that something's wrong requiring painful treatments."

"Rill..."

The nurse brought out a stethoscope and put the plugs in her ears. She pressed the rounded end to Marill's torso and listened carefully. _Heartbeat is normal; no skips or murmurs. Breathing is normal; there aren't any troubling sounds coming from her lungs._ She removed the rounded end and pulled the plugs out of her ears, looping the tool around her neck. "I'm going to check your pulse now." She took hold of one of Marill's stubby arms and found the pulse point. She was looking up at the clock as she felt the pulse thrum lightly under her fingers. "Very good, it's normal."

"Marill?"

"I can't say for sure just yet. We still need to test everything else. I'll need you to sit down please."

Marill did as was requested and watched as the nurse brought out something that looked like a small hammer. She tensed, wondering just what was going to be done with that.

"Oh, no need to fret, Marill. I'll tap this to certain parts of you to test your reflexes. I'll need you to relax though, or you won't respond as you should."

She inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly, allowing herself to calm down so Nurse Joy could give her the examination. She felt the hammer tap her arms and her arms twitched.

"Very good. Now for your feet." She tapped the hammer to the mouse's lower appendages, not far from where the very short legs met with the rounded torso. Again, more twitching. "Very good. You have fine reflexes. I'll check your tail too." She turned Marill so she could see the blue Pokemon's back. She tapped the ball on the end with her fingers to test how bouncy the tail was. "Very good; not too tight, nor too loose." She put the hammer away and found a syringe, needle, drain, tourniquet and some vials. "I'll need to give you the blood test now."

Marill turned around and let out a shrill "Marill!" in shock at the sight of the needle.

"I promise, it's not going to hurt as much as you think. But, you must stay absolutely still."

The pink Pokemon beside the nurse looked up to her partner. "Chansey?"

"If Marill starts to look like she's going to move, I might need you to help hold her still enough," Nurse Joy responded to the Chansey.

Chansey nodded and turned to Marill. "Chansey sey chan..." she whispered comfortingly.

"It will help if you don't see the needle as it enters your skin. You can look away if you want." Joy had finished tightening the tourniquet around one of Marill's very stubby arms and felt for a vein under the short fur. "I found one. This will only take a second." She pulled the fur back slightly with the fingers of her left hand and applied a liquid to where she felt the vein.

Marill closed her eyes tight and waited. She felt a slight stinging feeling, but it passed quickly. "Marill..."

"I told you it would be fine." Once the nurse had enough blood to examine for potential pathological issues, she put a gauze over the tiny hole and wrapped a small bandage around it. "This will keep it from getting any germs in it." She finished labelling the vials and handed them to Chansey. "Please get these to the pathology lab."

Chansey nodded and carefully carried the vials out of the examination room.

Nurse Joy gave Marill a pat on the head for being a brave Pokemon. "I'll let you rest in a recovery room for now, then you can have something to eat, alright?"

"Marill!" Marill then let out a yawn. It had been a big day. She closed her eyes and felt herself being picked up and carried.

The man was there. She was back in the Pokeball, but she could recognise his voice. She could hear the nurse telling him that she was the bill of perfect health and was ready to be presented to his son whenever he was. She then heard the nurse make a comment of concern.

_Sir? Mr. Sketchit? Are you alright?_

_Not really...I think I'm..._

_Oh dear! You shouldn't even be out in such a condition! What will your wife say?_

_She can yell at me later. For now...can you please call an ambulance...?_

A thud. Marill's ears twitched and she screamed from inside the confines of the ball. Nobody would hear her, but she continued to call out in worry.

Concerned voices. A woman crying, a boy whimpering softly as someone...a new male voice...spoke that unfortunately, he only had a day left before he...

Marill shook her head. She knew the man was dying; he'd told her that himself. But, she couldn't believe he would be gone so soon! She was glad she was able to help grant the wish of him being there to see his son receive his first Pokemon.

_Tracey, I have something for you... I won't be there on your tenth birthday...so, here..._

_A Pokeball?_ Marill figured that voice was the young boy she was to befriend. She felt saddened as she heard just how small his voice sounded. She knew the boy was upset; frightened and full of sorrow that soon, his father wouldn't be there.

_Why don't you open it?_

_There's a Pokemon inside?_

Marill heard a woman still sobbing lightly as she advised the child do as requested; that he grant his father the chance to see him receive his first Pokemon. She braced herself. She couldn't appear sad when she first appeared to the child. She put on a smile and was ready for when she felt that warmth of the white light envelop her and carry her out of the ball and into the outside world. "Marill!"

"Tracey, this is a Marill. She wants to be your friend," the man said softly.

Tracey's eyes widened in surprise. He knelt down to the blue Pokemon's level (which wasn't much further from his own once on his knees) and reached out a hand, not wanting to startle it. "Hello, Marill. I'm Tracey. I'd like to be your friend too."

Marill nodded and with a call of her name, she leapt into the boy's arms and nuzzled him. The photo hadn't lied, he truly was a friendly boy. It seemed now, she'd be needed more than ever.

Marill felt tears in her eyes as the man said his last words. She felt Tracey hugging her tightly, almost enough to bruise, but she refused to cringe, cry out to let him know she was in a bit of pain or jump out of his hold until he was certain to loosen his grip. Instead, she shed a couple of tears as she whispered her own goodbyes to the human who'd introduced her to her first real friend. As she felt the boy's tears dripping on her head, she turned in his embrace and nuzzled him. Her arms were too short to reach around and hug him properly; something she wished she could do at the moment once the boy started to sob. All she could do to try to offer physical comfort was continue to nuzzle his chest gently. Just as his tears dampened her fur, her tears dampened his shirt.

As she heard the woman begin to wail and scream her husband's name as a low _beeeeeeep_ filled the room, she let out her own sobs that blended with the sound of those of the boy who held her. The man was nice, the boy was nice. Why did this have to happen?

As the years passed, Marill stayed by Tracey's side as he grew from the five year old she'd met. She would nuzzle him whenever he would mourn his father. She would laugh with him whenever they saw or heard something funny. She wished she could use her Water Gun on the other kids who made him feel more miserable than he already was, but knew if she did that, then she'd be taken from Tracey.

She currently sat with him on the floor in front of the TV as they watched a show featuring the world's leading researcher Professor Oak. Marill was intrigued to hear what the man had to say about Pokemon, and wished Tracey could understand her when she put in her own two-cents about the species mentioned. But, she noticed even if she had said anything, the boy wouldn't hear her. Why? Because his attention was locked onto the TV. She'd known for a couple of years that he was quite the fan of the researcher featured on TV.

The show finished and Tracey picked up the remote control. "That was really interesting, huh?"

Marill nodded to let him know she agreed. She followed him across the room and hopped onto the couch as he sat on the soft cushions.

"I hope I can meet Professor Oak someday. I'm working hard on being a Pokemon Watcher like Dad was. He taught me a few things when I told him I wanted to be a Watcher just like him. I'm even working on my drawing skills."

"Marill!" She knew. She was with him every time he followed the two rules his father had taught him that allowed him to observe Pokemon without being seen or heard. She was with him when he would work on a sketch of the Pokemon. At his age, the drawings were a bit rough or clumsy, but he was still determined to draw as well as his father had.

Marill heard Tracey's mother enter the room and looked over to her. It seemed that the grief of losing her soulmate was taking its toll on her. She appeared tired and withdrawn.

"Tracey, has Professor Oak's talk finished?"

"Yep!"

"Do you plan on going to look at more Pokemon on the beach?"

"No, not today. The weather looks bad."

Marill nodded in agreement as she looked outside. She had a feeling Tracey knew more than he let on about the weather.

"That doesn't stop a Watcher though." She sat beside her son, but didn't pull him into a hug.

"It does if a hurricane is coming."

"You know about the hurricane, Tracey?"

"Yep. You taught me to look at the sky and sea to know how bad a storm would be. It won't reach here though, right?" It helped that his mother was a former member of the Tangelo Meterological Bureau.

Marill was impressed. Not even she, who lived in the seas since she could remember, could identify just how bad a storm could get. Not that it ever caused her problems thanks to the ball on the end of her tail helping her keep afloat during the worst of it.

The woman nodded to let her son know the hurricane was far out in the ocean, so they'd only face bad weather instead of having to bunker down until it passes. "Good boy. You really paid attention."

"Are you okay, Mum? You look tired."

Marill nodded in agreement and let out a sound.

"I'll be alright, you two. I didn't sleep well last night, thats's all."

Marill sighed inwardly. The woman was lying and she knew it. She'd been in the same state since the night her husband died. She knew Tracey was aware of it too, but the boy chose not to argue with his mother on the subject. He didn't handle his father's passing too well either, but it would be worse for the woman who'd been in love with him for so long. "Marill ma?"

Tracey looked to the mouse. "What's up, Marill?" He'd learned to identify _Marill ma_ as his name in Marill-speak.

Marill pointed to a painting in the room. It had been done by Tracey's father. She was hinting it might be nice to practice drawing since the weather was too unpleasant for seeking out Pokemon to observe.

The woman caught on. "I think Marill's suggesting you do some drawing practice."

"Good idea. I can't go and look for Pokemon, but I can at least practice so I can do better sketches the next time I see one."

"Your sketches are already very good, Tracey."

"But, they don't look right. I want to draw just as good as Dad did."

The woman's eyes filled with more sorrow. "Yes. He was quite talented. Alright then. When you feel you're good enough to, will you show me your sketches?"

"Okay, Mum!" He slid off the couch and waited until Marill had jumped off. "Come on, Marill. Let's do some drawing."

Marill nodded and went to follow the boy, but a whisper almost halted her in her tracks. _Keep being a good friend to my son. I think you'll be the only one he'll have in the future._ She couldn't help but worry about what those words meant.

Two more years passed, and Tracey was finally ten years old. He was able to receive a Trainer's license permitting him to catch and train Pokemon, and could finally set off on his journey. He and Marill stood outside the house waiting for his mother to come out and see him off on his journey.

Marill looked up at Tracey. She knew the boy was a bit anxious about heading out on his own, but there was also the excitement of venturing out into the world. "Marill ma?"

He looked down to her as he felt her nuzzle his leg. "Are you excited about our journey too?"

"Rill!"

"Of course, we'll mainly be visiting nearby islands and exploring all of them before coming back home." He looked back to the house. "Something's wrong with Mum, and it worries me too much to be away from home. I wanted to stay home, but..."

The mouse nodded. She knew the situation. She knew Tracey preferred to stay home as he could see his mother's grief was taking its toll on her to the point she appeared physically ill. Of course, when the child had made that comment to his mother, she assured him that she would be alright while he was gone. If she felt herself deteriorating further, she'd contact someone to make sure she'd be okay.

The woman finally stepped out of the house. Her cheeks were shrunken; she looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks. That wasn't far from the truth, she barely managed to eat her meals those days and preferred to just lie in bed and rest. It was a good thing Tracey was self-sufficient in preparation for heading out on his first journey, otherwise he'd likely starve too. The woman smiled as brightly as she could as she approached her son and embraced him. "It's finally the day. You've always been eager to go on your first journey and see what Pokemon you'll find."

"I'm not quite sure about what I want to really do..."

"What do you mean?"

"I kind of want to be a Trainer, but I'm leaning more towards being a Watcher."

"Either way, Marill will be a valuable partner." She looked to the Pokemon. "Won't you, Marill?"

Marill nodded. "Marill marill!"

The embrace was broken after the woman gave her son a kiss on the forehead. "Before I forget..." She reached into her pocket and brought out a light red/pink headband. "It will be hard to sketch Pokemon with sweat in your eyes, so wear this to keep it out of them."

Tracey nodded as he accepted the headband and slipped it on. It was a little loose, but it stayed where it was meant to.

"My little boy, finally heading out on his own. You be careful, won't you?"

"Of course, Mum! I'll be back in a few months to tell you about my journey and show you my new Pokemon."

"I look forward to it." She knelt down and gave Marill a pat on the head. "Look after my son, okay? He'll need you," she whispered so only Marill could hear. She stood up again. "Goodbye, you two. I love you."

"Bye, Mum! Love you too!" Tracey replied as he finally turned and took the first step on the path heading towards the port. He planned on catching a ferry to the next island, no matter which one.

Marill waddled alongside her trainer, though the words his mother had said caused her to feel some uneasiness. What did the woman mean? Was something more wrong than either she or her trainer comprehended?


	2. Someone Who Understands

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Pokemon or the characters. They are the property of Tajiri Satoshi, Nintendo, Game Freak, etc._

**Notes: **_**This idea would not leave me alone. I wanted to write about how Tracey had acquired Marill and Venonat. I'd had the thought for years that Marill was a special friend given to him by his father when he was still too young to legally train a Pokemon, but Marill could still be a friend to him.**_

_**A lot of what's featured is headcanon - Tracey growing up on Tangelo Island, his father (a well-known Pokemon Watcher on Tangelo) passing away when he was five, his mother passing away from grief when he was ten and on his first journey around the neighbouring islands (no further from the Southern region explaining why he hasn't been to Murcott Island before he travelled with Ash and Misty), Marill being a gift, Venonat being the first capture...**_

_**These chapters tend to focus more on the Pokemon's point of view rather than Tracey's.**_

_**I hope you enjoy this!**_

A purple bug with large, red eyes sat on the tree branch as it ate some fruit. It was a peaceful day; not even any Pokemon that usually caused trouble were doing as they usually do. He'd seen trainers walk by without even noticing him, and that was just fine by him. He didn't really want to battle if he could help it; especially since a lot of those trainers appeared to have Fire types with them. Fire was one of his least favourite things.

He scanned the area with his radar eyes to see if any dangers were present before he jumped out of the tree and landed safely on the ground. The area was practically vacant. "Nat veno," he commented quietly. Nobody was around to answer him, so he just shrugged to himself and continued to walk along. He knew there was another tree nearby that had some of his favourite pears growing on it. He always did like the juicy fruits. If there weren't any left, he'll just settle for some aphids that approach him.

The area was too quiet. His footsteps seemed to echo. No, wait. Those are someone else's footsteps. He looked around again. Someone was nearby. How could he have missed them?

_At least there aren't any Beedrill to worry about here._

_Marill!_

The voices belonged to a young boy and a Pokemon. He couldn't say which Pokemon though as he'd never heard such a call before. He jumped into the bushes and continued to watch carefully as the boy and the blue mouse appeared in the area. They were strolling through.

Marill's ears twitched. She looked to her trainer. "Marill ma!" She pointed to the bushes nearby.

Venonat tensed. He was hiding pretty well; how did the mouse know he was there?

"Ma marill!"

The boy looked to where the mouse was pointing. "Is there a Pokemon in the bushes?"

"Marill!"

"Hmm, it seems to want to be left alone, otherwise it wouldn't be hiding. Still, I wonder what kind of Pokemon it was?"

Venonat relaxed. It seemed the boy had no intention of disturbing him. Wait. What was he getting out of that bag? It smelled yummy.

The boy handed some to the blue mouse, then slowly approached the bushes his Pokemon had pointed out. He stopped just short of them and set down the yummy smelling things before stepping backwards.

Venonat had a long mental debate about accepting the yummy smelling things or staying in the bush until the boy and Pokemon had left. His stomach started to rumble.

Marill smiled as she approached the yummy smelling things on the ground. She didn't eat them though. She picked one up and stepped closer to the bush. If she did it, it would surely convey they meant no harm. "Marill?"

Venonat could no longer handle it. He poked the top half of his round torso out of the bushes and accepted the offering.

"Oh! It's a Venonat!" the boy exclaimed quietly. " I've got to make a sketch of this!" He appeared to have a sketchbook and pencil in hand. The pencil was rapidly running over the paper of the sketchbook as he drew the image of Marill offering some pellets to Venonat.

Venonat was surprised. Usually, such actions would have a trainer jump up and shout _Now's my chance to catch it!_ before putting him through a long battle that he'd often escape from at the last second, just as the trainer prepared a Pokeball. Instead, the child was drawing a picture of him. He climbed out of the bushes. "Venonat?"

The mouse smiled. "Marill ma marill."

"Veno..."

"Marill."

So, that's who the Pokemon was; a Marill. He hadn't seen a Marill before. She appeared to be a Water type, so maybe she lived closer to a lake or the ocean. He stepped closer to the pile of pellets and saw the boy was still drawing. "Veno venonat?"

Marill nodded. "Marill ma marill rill ma."

"Veno nat veno."

"Rill rill."

The boy was smiling. "It looks like you two have hit it off." He flipped the page and made another sketch, this time of Marill and Venonat conversing as they sat by the pile of food pellets. "Is it true that Venonat have eyes that can see anything in a distance?"

Venonat looked to the boy and nodded. It was true, his eyesight was remarkable.

"Marill has excellent hearing, that's how she was able to find you. If she hadn't pointed you out, I would have walked past without getting a sketch of you. I've never actually seen a Venonat in-person before today."

"Veno?"

"Only in books or on TV, but never like this. We don't get many Venonat near my house. Wait until I show Mum these!"

Venonat smiled in his own way. Even though the boy wouldn't see it, he was pleased he was able to be the first Venonat the child had seen and taken the opportunity to make sketches of.

"You seem happy."

"Venonat?"

"Hmm...I guess I can just see it. I've been training to be a Pokemon Watcher like my dad was."

Venonat heard _was_, what did that mean? Judging by the brief glimpse of sorrow he saw passing over the faces of the boy and the Marill, he figured it wasn't just retirement.

"Others probably wouldn't know you were happy. But, you're relaxed and you sound pretty cheery as you talk to Marill."

Venonat had to say he was impressed. This boy seemed to really understand what observation was all about. He hummed quietly in thought before looking to Marill. "Venonat! Venonat!"

Marill was surprised. She wasn't aiming to battle the bug that stood before her.

Tracey could hear a challenging tone in the purple bug's voice. "Do you want a battle?"

Venonat nodded as it leapt away from Marill and stood in battle stance. This child understood him and his behaviour well, even after only five minutes. He felt this child would be a worthy trainer.

"Okay then. Marill, are you ready for your first battle?"

Marill nodded as she stood up and faced the bug with determination.

"Both of us are a bit inexperienced, but we'll do our best."

Venonat nodded and went to make the first move. A Tackle attack.

"Quick! Dodge and Tackle in return!"

Marill jumped out of the way just in the nick of time. She turned and directed a Tackle at the purple Pokemon just as it landed and looked around for her.

Venonat let out a small cry of surprise as she made contact with him. He jumped back onto his feet before leaping in the air.

As Tracey watched Venonat shake, he tensed. "It's using a powder attack. Move out of the direction of the breeze and stay back!"

A yellow powder flowed from Venonat as he shook it from his fur. He planned on stunning Marill so she couldn't attack.

Marill followed her instructions and was safe from the powder attack.

"Now use Water Gun!"

She sent a stream of water from her mouth towards the purple bug and hit her mark. The powerful spray sent Venonat crashing into a tree. "Marill!" She was shocked, she didn't want to hurt him!

Tracey was also shocked. He brought out a Pokeball so he could catch Venonat. He threw it and saw it make contact. The ball opened and Venonat vanished in the flash of red light. The ball closed and shook twice before coming to a stop and letting out a chime to let Tracey know Venonat was securely in the ball. He picked the ball up and opened it, bringing the bug back out in a flash of white light. "Are you okay, Venonat?"

Marill approached the bug expressing her own concern.

Venonat nodded with a tired smile. The crash into the tree did hurt a little, but he'd finally found he was with a worthy trainer. He winced slightly as the pain from the collision filled him.

"Hold on, I'll fix that in a second." Tracey hurried back to his backpack and pulled out a spray bottle. He returned to Venonat and started spraying him anywhere an attack had made contact.

The pain vanished quickly after the liquid was sprayed onto him. "Venonat!"

"I'm glad you feel better. Do you want to come along with us?"

"Veno venonat!" Venonat nodded happily before nuzzling against both the boy and the mouse. He'd found some friends who respected everything about him, who understood that his radar eye was handy.

"Marill helps me find Pokemon by listening out for them. Would you be able to help with your radar vision?"

Another happy nod. He'd be happy to be of service to the child who knew what observation was all about.

Two more months passed. Venonat was the only Pokemon Tracey had captured during his journey as he'd decided that in the end, he preferred observing them in the wild rather than catching them for battles. His battle with Venonat and the fear he'd felt after seeing the bug crash into a tree helped cement that.

The Pokemon were out of their Pokeballs as they arrived at Tangelo Port. "We'll be home very soon, Marill! Venonat, my mother will be happy to meet you!"

Venonat nodded. He'd heard good things about Tracey's mother from the boy and Marill. He looked forward to meeting her too. He noticed Marill seemed a little worried. "Veno?" he whispered.

Marill smiled slightly. "Rill, marill."

She sounded worried too. What could be wrong?

Tracey took off at a jog. "Come on, you two!"

The Pokemon let out a cry and hurried after their trainer. Their legs being shorter, they were a little slower than him, so they were thankful he was only jogging, not sprinting.

A police car was outside the house. Marill tensed. Something was definitely wrong. Even if the local Officer Jenny stopped by to check on Tracey's mother, she never used her squad car or motorbike; she used her own car.

Tracey stopped in his tracks. "Why are the police here?" He took off again, picking up his pace and hurrying inside the house.

The Pokemon tried hurrying after their trainer, but couldn't keep up that time. Good thing they knew he went inside the house.

Marill paused in her tracks as she heard what she dreaded. She looked to Venonat as tears formed in her eyes. "Marill marill..."

Venonat was confused. He didn't hear what she had, so he couldn't know what was causing her to cry like that. "Venonat?"

"Marill ma...marill ma marill..."

He didn't like the sound of that.

"Ma-marill..."

He nuzzled Marill as he whispered in his language that they should find where Tracey is. That it seems he needs them as friends.

Marill nodded and led Venonat through the house until she found their trainer. She saw him clutching to Officer Jenny and crying, and hurried over to him. "Marill!"

Officer Jenny saw the two Pokemon. "So, you caught a Venonat," she whispered. Her voice was louder as she said "take good care of your trainer, alright? You're all he has now."

Both Pokemon started quietly whimpering as they nuzzled their trainer, trying to offer comfort.

Officer Jenny had left at Tracey's request. He wanted to be alone. His Pokemon could keep him company, but for the time being, he didn't want to really talk to anyone. He squeezed Marill as tight as he had the night his father died as he whimpered "Mum's heart was broken after Dad died. It took its toll on her, and... Her heart was broken."

Venonat didn't quite understand what Tracey meant. He allowed himself to be squeezed too.

"She got sick, very sick. Nothing could make her better. It wasn't like Dad's. There was no treatment that could've helped her. Nothing can mend a broken heart like the one who left would have."

Marill nodded. She had a feeling that was why Tracey's mother had appeared more and more withdrawn, pale, sickly, tired, weak.

"Maybe I should have stayed home after all..."

She shook her head. It seemed not even her son was able to help her heart mend enough to keep going. His mother would have insisted that he leave so he wouldn't have had to see her at her worst point before her body just shut down on her as the days passed. She'd heard Officer Jenny state she waited at the house everyday for Tracey to return so she could tell him as soon as possible. It would have been hard for the boy, but it would be a little easier than having him believe she was just out shopping and waiting for her, only for her to never return.

"Please...don't leave me too..."

Neither of them dreamed of it. Marill and Tracey had been friends for years, and Venonat had finally found friends who understood him. They would never leave their trainer until it was truly their time. Even if he should ever consider releasing them into the wild so they could live freely, they'd still refuse. They won't leave him.

"Thank you. Marill, Venonat, thank you for staying. You really are all I have left now...my only friends and family..."

They continued to nuzzle their trainer and coo as he continued to mourn his mother.


	3. Epilogue - New Friends, Brighter Futures

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Pokemon or the characters. They are the property of Tajiri Satoshi, Nintendo, Game Freak, etc._

**Notes: **_**This idea would not leave me alone. I wanted to write about how Tracey had acquired Marill and Venonat. I'd had the thought for years that Marill was a special friend given to him by his father when he was still too young to legally train a Pokemon, but Marill could still be a friend to him.**_

_**A lot of what's featured is headcanon - Tracey growing up on Tangelo Island, his father (a well-known Pokemon Watcher on Tangelo) passing away when he was five, his mother passing away from grief when he was ten and on his first journey around the neighbouring islands (no further from the Southern region explaining why he hasn't been to Murcott Island before he travelled with Ash and Misty), Marill being a gift, Venonat being the first capture...**_

_**These chapters tend to focus more on the Pokemon's point of view rather than Tracey's.**_

_**I hope you enjoy this!**_

Five years passed. Both Marill and Venonat could hear conversation taking place, even from their Pokeballs.

_So, that's how you knew so much about Pikachu and the other Pokemon!_ A girl.

_I'm Ash, and I'm hoping to become a Pokemon Master. _A young boy.

_My name's Tracey._ Their trainer.

_My name's Misty. Nice to meet you._ The girl again.

Both of the Pokemon had hope that maybe these two children would be the human companions their trainer had longed for since young. Yes, he was glad to have Marill and Venonat with him, just as they appreciated him being their trainer. But, they knew, especially after learning he was an orphan, that he did want to have at least one human companion.

Time passed, and Venonat was released from his Pokeball. He got a glimpse of the kids. They seemed rather nice, and they were all working together to help a baby Lapras.

The next morning, both of the Pokemon were back in their Pokeballs. They heard more conversation, and it seemed that the two kids had agreed to have Tracey travel with them. Finally, it seemed things were looking up for him.

When Marill was released from her Pokeball to assist with a search for an elusive Pokemon, she was able to finally meet the kids her trainer was travelling with. Though she hid it well and focused on her task, she was quite thrilled that Tracey had found some great friends.

Oh, and they even gained a new Pokemon friend too, an elderly Scyther who'd been exiled from his swarm after being defeated in a leadership battle. Yes, things were a bit rocky because Scyther didn't appreciate being caught without a real battle, but he soon became the third Pokemon companion of the Watcher.

Yep. Things were definitely looking up. All three Pokemon (Scyther having learned from Marill and Venonat about the past) agreed it was much better seeing their trainer in a much more positive mood about everything, and actually feel it genuinely.


End file.
